Yeah he's my cousin
by AdmiralChirko
Summary: 2015 - Vladimir Makarov is the most wanted man by the CIA. He doesn't finch at human trafficking, torture, death... but, many do not realize he has a soft side. Veta - Makarov's younger cousin - will learn what it involves to call him 'cousin'.
1. Black Sheep

**_(heyyyy everybodayyyyyy :D long time no write, hey? So, this is my attempt at first person. I hate writing it so I'm forcing myself to. So, the first chapter is first person present tense – screw it I can't do it. I'm sorry but I'm going to switch to past in the next chapter. Present is too hard for me but I didn't wanna change it :P So, read and review my loyal followers _****_J_********_once again, I don't write first person so this is a big leap for me. Oh.. yeah.. it's not beta read so if there's mistakes PM me about it and I will change it ASAP! ENJOY :D)_**

Every family has its black sheep. There's always that one person who never fits in and has their family question them.

I'm that person.

Honestly, it really fucking sucks. I mean, sure, it's always nice to be original and unique but not in my family. It seems they are only concerned about politics and power. Who the hell cares?! While sitting here, I can hear the classic bickering. 'They're too open minded about this' and 'They're becoming too powerful with this guy.' Looking around my room, I'm thankful for my salvation.

Something's going on – I can hear my parent's voices increasing in volume and passion. I know just the way to end that. Sitting up, I can see what I'm thinking of. On my dresser is perched my phone. I don't know what I'd do without it. I really don't want to move – but I must. Jumping off my plush bed and stepping onto the hard floor is uncomfortable under my feet. A few short steps and I finally grab my phone. I can't help but look over my reflection in the mirror.

Compared to my family, I even look different! Both of my parents have blonde hair and deep hazel eyes. They look fucking scary. I remember times when I was younger that I got so scared of them I would start crying. Boy was I ever a sensitive child. The person who is staring back is far from them. Perched around my shoulders is my deep brown hair. Shaking my head, I can't help but admire my eyes. Something must have happened at birth because each eye is a merging of green-blue with flecks of grey thrown around randomly. I love my eyes – mother hates them.

'You'll never be part of the family. You're a traitor.'

Yes mom because having fucked up genetics makes me a traitor. I can't help but shake my head at that. Those kinds of comments from her have gotten increasingly frequent over the years. Once I'm an adult, she wants me gone. I am a disgrace to the family. Well, I have two words for you, dear mother.

Fuck. You.

I still can't believe the scars I have on my neck and body. It was quite the adventure getting that little number. Wasn't my fucking fault either! Well, I guess it was _partially _my fault.

I guess I had to have been about… thirteen? Shit I had balls… like… _shit_. Thinking about this now, I really should have minded my tongue. Anyways, I was sitting in my room like usual. Something happened and I left the room… I think I was hungry. Oh yeah! I had been baking cookies that day. See, in my house, we have two kitchens. My room is upstairs. If you walk outside my door, there is a small open space with a railing enclosing the area and to the right a staircase that leads downstairs. To the left, there is a small kitchen. _Really _small. There's a mini fridge, microwave, stove and oven. My parents don't like me using their shit so they got me my own. On this particular day, I had made some sugar cookies. My friend had sent me the recipe so I decided to make them. I heard the timer go off and needed to take them out. So, I walked outside to see my dumbass cousin and his friend taking them out of the oven and eating them. I worked pretty damn hard on them… hence I was pretty fucking pissed. I walked up behind the two of them and stood there – glaring. Eventually my cousin turned around with a mouthful of cookie and rustled the top of my head.

"I see you still take whatever the fuck you want." I had spat at him grabbing the half eaten cookie out of his grubby hands.

"Excuse me?" He had grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to his face. Although both of his eyes were different, the anger was the same. Even though he reeked of alcohol, I could tell he wasn't drunk. It would take copious amounts of alcohol to get him drunk. My cousin doesn't care about anyone except his own agenda. From this point on, I probably should have retracted that statement, but what the hell? I was screwed either way.

"You heard me… or do your ears need a cleaning?" Without thinking, I grabbed the pan that held the cookies in my free hand and smacked it across the side of his face. Did it ever burn! After I hit him, I dropped it and watched him grab the side of his face. He reeled back and I watched his friend look between the two of us. My cousin looked at me and I tried to run. He rammed into me and sent us both flying over the railing. Down below was my parent's favourite piece of furniture in the living room – a glass table. You can see where this is going… me right through it. I slammed down onto it so forcefully that my body shattered it and had a million different shards of glass going into my body. I blacked out for a moment but then came around to feel my cousin dragging my bloody body off of the floor and dangling in front of his face.

"See what you made me do, bitch?" Honestly, pushing me off the second story of my house and through a table was pretty fucking unnecessary. I managed to latch onto the arm he was holding me up with and bit down onto it. The next thing I knew, I felt blood pouring into my mouth and I had spit out the chuck of skin I tore off. He dropped me down and I fell back into the pile of glass. I managed to get a few steps before I had collapsed onto my hands and knees. Before that moment, I had never felt so much excruciating pain in my life.

"Get back here!" He grabbed me by the neck and started to choke me. There was nothing I could do at the point. Suddenly, it took a really fucked up turn. He started laughing. I'm not kidding. He started laughing and put me down onto the ground and gave me a hug. Talk about a psychotic episode. I started laughing with him.

"I like the way you stood up to me. You'd make a great leader one day." He remarked while looking me in my eyes. A smile appeared on his face as he walked me over to his friend. The look on that guys face was one of questioning and a hint of anger.

"He'll fix you up… won't you Yuri?"

"Yes, Makarov." Yuri laid his arm over my shoulder and walked me to the bathroom.

"We're both Makarov, comrade!" I looked up at him, smirking. Being that young, I thought it was _the shit_ that Makarov was my cousin. He was feared so that meant I was to be feared, right?

"What's your name?" Yuri had asked as I sat down on the counter in the bathroom.

"Veta. Veta Makarov."

Basically after that whole event, Vlad and I became closer. I don't know how his sick mind works. Frankly, I don't _care_ how his mind works. Wow… it's been a while. I will admit, I do miss being spending time with him. When I was younger, he would always be happy to have me sit with him and Yuri and listen in to what they had to say. Of course, back then, I didn't know what the hell they were talking about. As time grew on, I listened and watched from a distance. It was only once or twice a year where Vlad would visit the family. Sure, he's done some pretty bad shit – kill a _few _people, did some human trafficking, among other things – but he's still my cousin.

Cousins share a pretty sacred bond. There is just this amazing connection that can't be compared to anything else. They spend time with you on a different level. When shit goes down, they understand. Yeah, Vlad might not be the _ideal _cousin, but, we make it work. Contrary to popular belief, he does have a side of compassion. More often than not, he expresses that side to me. Thinking back to it, I saw him here last week. He seemed really busy, though. Haven't seen him like that in a while. Yuri and he went off to the small office they keep here. It was really weird – they didn't come out for a couple of hours. Even when they left, Vlad didn't acknowledge my presence – so much for that cousin bond.

"Прочти меня! Прочти меня!" Looking down at my phone, I can't believe what my eyes are seeing. Vlad texted me? This must be a mistake. There is no reason what so ever for him to be texting me.

"Опасность." Danger…? What the fuck Vlad. You really need to start checking who you text. For all he knows, he could have texted an officer in the US. Then he'd be fucked up the ass. Stashing the phone in my pocket, I can't help but think that –

"Вета, мы уходим. Мы вернемся в конце концов." 'We're going?' Whatever – I couldn't care less. The muffled sound of the door slamming shut was the only thing I could hear for a moment. Whenever my family was away, I could escape my alcove and venture forth. Sure, I could come and go as I pleased, but I know they – especially mother – prefers not to catch sight of me. As I walk out of my room and look over the now barren living room below, I catch a glimpse of my future – nothing.

You think I'm kidding right? Think about this logically. I'm related to Vladimir Makarov – the most wanted man by the CIA right now. People want to get at him… any way possible. I've never really considered myself a target. People don't know about Vlad's personal life. He's done a very good job of keeping that safe. I can't have a normal life. No matter how hard I may try, it will never be attainable.

Going downstairs, everything is so pristine. My parents don't like having a dirty house. If even the slightest object is out of place, it drives them crazy. I can hear the car start from inside. My father is quite the fan of classic cars. The one that I can hear right now is his favorite – a 1970 Dodge Charger. Taking a few steps to the window, I can see the smoke pouring from the old thing.

What the?! Why am I on the floor…? My face… there's so much pain. There's copious glass shard on the ground. Standing up, I look through the wind… the window is gone. The distance… oh my god… the car…it's… it's gone. All there is… is flames. The car is engulfed. Who would do such a thing?! What… what the… who's that? There's three men running this way… they're not Russian… oh shit.

Fuck my life… oh shit! I can't think right now! Wait… the office. Vlad was here last week. Did he leave anything behind? I have to check! Vlad would kill me if it fell into the wrong hands. Sprinting down the hall way, I don't know what to do. Kicking down the door, I can't see anything that… a portable hard drive! How the fuck did Vlad forget that?! Ripping it out of the computer, I look around – where can I hide it? I can hear them inside the house! Wait – the floor board! I lunge onto my hands and knees – I know it's around here somewhere… aha! Prying open a floor board, I see the cubby hole. I chuck it in next to the fake passports and money – it'll be safe. Better stomp on it to make sure it they don't find it. Okay.. now where the fuck –

"Don't move!" I snap my head towards the voice – do they really expect me to do that? I'm screwed either way. My legs start to move towards the window before I even know what the hell is happening. Damn – he has me pinned. Groaning, I can feel him pull me back up. There's no way I'm getting out of this now. Fuck… I can't stop trembling. Two other men are standing in the doorway… looking me over. They look confused as hell.

"Let me go!"

"Now we can't do that, darling," Slowly, another man entered the room, "we can't leave a wounded civilian by herself."

"I'm fine." Bullshit – I can feel adrenaline pumping through my veins. I need to get the fuck out of here. Wait… there's something written on his uniform… 'Shepherd'. Whoever this 'Shepherd' person is, he seems to be the man in charge. He looks so old… seems dangerous for a grandpa to be put out into the field. He's coming closer to me… he's giving me the creeps.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"I…" I can't tell him that I live here… can I? No, he might bring me in to question me further.

"Meat, Royce – go make sure the perimeter is secure."

"Yes, Sir."

My body is still trembling. Why is he closing the door…?

"Let her go, Ghost." Finally, his coarse hands are off of me. This is going to be… interesting.

"What do you want?" Taking a step away from the man who held me, I sit down on the desk – honestly, I'm starting to get light headed. I didn't even notice the glass had cut up my arms badly. I must have lost a lot of blood. The look that Shepherd gives me… I don't know what it is. There's something more behind those blue eyes of his. The other man, I don't even know – he's wearing some sort of mask and glasses. Okay, let's try to act calm and distant. I can do this.

"Where's Makarov?" Shepherd asked. Well, isn't he being direct?

"Wouldn't you like to know…" looking up at the ceiling, I avoid eye contact – I need to keep this act up.

"Ghost, I think you know what to do."

"But Sir, she's just a child…" What are they talking about? Keep calm… act natural.

"That's an order."

"Yes, Sir."


	2. Blood Is Thicker

**_(hellooooooo :) so, I did as promised - I cnaged my tense. I hated the first chapter I wrote, personally, but I dodn't want to change it. What's done is done, yeah know? PS: PlaidWrappedmoose - I'm sorry for the long wait! To everyone else, read, review and enjoy :D You're all fabulous!)_**

The man Shepherd called Ghost approached me. What was he going to do? He wouldn't hurt me… right? Wrong. As soon as I looked at him, he grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me onto the floor. That hurt – a few of my dried cuts reopened and started to trickle blood down my skin and stain the hardwood beneath me. I tried to get up, but Ghost placed his booth over my throat and firmly pressed down. I couldn't breathe.

"S…stop…" I managed to gurgle out. Wrapping my hands around his boot, I tried to remove it, but, to no avail. Ghost was simply too strong.

"Where's Makarov?" Shepherd knelt down next to me. I wouldn't tell. Two reasons, mainly. One – I am not telling this American jack shit. Two – I honestly don't know where Vlad is. He has no reason to keep in the loop of his whereabouts.

"Go… t-to hell…" I guess he didn't like that answer. The steel tip of Shepherd's boot connected with my temple. In an instant, everything was gone. At least in darkness, I couldn't feel anything – I was numb. It was a strange sensation indeed. When I finally did come around, everything was different. I was still in the office, but I wasn't on the floor. Through blurred vision, I could still see the smirk across Shepherd's face. After a few moments, I was able to see what they had done – somehow, they had suspended me from the ceiling. They must have wrapped the rope around the light fixture. That didn't matter – all that mattered was trying to get free. No matter how hard I struggled against the rope, it simply cut deeper into my wrists. God, were my arms ever in pain. What really irked me was the fact that they had me suspended just so that my feet wouldn't touch the floor – those bastards.

"Ah, I see sleeping beauty has woken up…" I lifted my head towards the voice – it was Shepherd. Things were about to get worse… much worse. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my head up for very long. That blow had taken a toll on me. My head sunk back down – below me, I could see the puddle of blood from my wounds starting to form. Shit, if I ever get out of here, I'm getting Makarov to kill him.

"Why…?"

"Why what?" Shepherd gently tipped my head up to look me in the eyes. The concern he wore was obviously fake – almost sickeningly so.

"Why are you being a bastard?" I spat a clump of saliva onto the side of his face. Immediately, my head was sent reeling from his fist connecting with my jaw. Blood started to pool in my mouth – great. I watched as it added to the puddle beneath my feet.

"You should learn to mind your tongue." _That _sounds familiar. Damn, I don't know how much I can actually take of this torture. He's barely started and I can't even take it.

"Why are you here?" Honest question, right?

"Simple," Shepherd grabbed the side of my face forcefully, getting closer than before, "we have reason to believe that Makarov has affiliations here."

"No, he hasn't. This is my house for fucks sake."

"You're lying." Shepherd sent another blow to the side of my face, along with a flurry of punches to my abdomen. With the wind knocked out of me, only gasps escaped my lips. As I coughed, I felt blood being forced up my throat and being expelled onto the floor. Tears welled up in my eyes – I couldn't take it.

"I don't know where he is," I wasn't lying – I really didn't know where he was. There was no reason for Vlad to tell me, "I'm just a young girl."

"If you want this to be easy," I felt the other man from behind me hold my head straight up, forcing me to look directly into Shepherd's eyes, "I suggest you answer his questions."

Without warning, Shepherd sent a punch to my throat. I couldn't breath – it hurt so much. He wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted. I couldn't give him anything – Vlad would do worse to me than they were. I was gasping for air – what else could I do? Forcefully, I shut my eyes – the darkness was a comforting sight. Thud after thud, his fists pounded into me. There was no way to stop it. Each bolt of pain that rocketed through me had me recoiling deeper and deeper into my subconscious. The pain was unbearable.

"Now, now," My eyes opened as Ghost shook my head. Shepherd looked as though he was getting tired of this, physically and emotionally. The smug look had been replaced by one of annoyance, "we don't need you to fall asleep again. This should wake you up."

The man behind me kept my head firmly in place as Shepherd wrapped his arms around my waist. No… he wouldn't. My worst fears were validated as he pulled down. I screamed as both of my arms audibly popped out of their sockets and I was left to dangle even more precariously. A flurry of sobs flooded out of my mouth and assaulted the room. This… this was hell. Tears carried away some of the dried blood on my face and splashed onto the floor.

"Where's Makarov?!" Shepherd placed a handgun to the side of my head, cocking the gun. My body trembled uncontrollably – I didn't want to die! I've barely lived!

"I DON'T KNOW! PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME!" I screamed, pleading for my life. This couldn't happen.

"Wrong answer."

"I'VE SEEN HIM!" Shit, why did I say that? Damn, Vlad's going to kill me… if I ever make it out of here alive.

"Keep talking." He held the tip of the gun more forcefully against my temple.

"It was last week. I don't know where he is now."

"Shepherd, I think she's telling the truth." Ghost loosened his grip on my head as he spoke.

"Well, the truth isn't good enough."

"NO!" I screamed as he pulled the trigger. I shut my eyes as I heard the gun discharge… and nothing happened. Ghost let my head hand down as I sobbed. Why did he just do that?! He scared the shit out of me. I can't do this…

"Why…?" I asked though choked sobs. I had almost died… if that gun had been loaded… I would have added to the pile of blood substantially.

"To teach you a lesson. Ghost, join up with the team. I'll be there in a few min, understand?"

"Yes, sir." Even in my broken state, I could tell there was slight hesitation in his voice. Inside, I don't think he condoned my torture. His footsteps faded out and were replaced by Shepherd's sadistic laugh. This was going to be bad.

"I think I need to leave a message for your kind…" Shepherd titled my head up, looking deep into my eyes. His other hand started to trace its way down my torso and stop by my thigh. If he was going to do what I think he was about to…

"Don't…" I thrashed my leg away, but he halted it with his vice grip. He was going to rape me – that fucking bastard. I couldn't even do anything about it. As he pulled down my pants, I shut my eyes. I didn't want to remember this. The sad part was, I could hear my mother criticizing me in my head that this was my fault. Even though she was now dead, she still managed to torment my life. With him violating me, all I could do was scream. It was the only thing I could do to block out his laughing. No one came, though. None of these savages cared. Every moment that I felt accentuating his laughing with each thrust, I cried out even louder. Almost as soon as it started, he finished. My thighs dripped with dis desecration – my body felt filthy. Once he has stopped, he looked deep into my eyes, grinning.

"Something to remember me by." With that, he sent one last blow across my temple. The room around me spun as I fought to stay conscious. I lost the battle, though, and found myself enveloped in darkness once again. Strangely, it was calming. Here, at least, I could feel nothing. In the back of my mind, I could hear a muffled voice. It sounded so familiar. My mind must have been trying to protect itself. Slowly, I could see the darkness dissipating and making way for a blinding light. As I blinked, the voice was getting stronger.

"Veta?! VETA!" It was screaming out. I knew that voice. It was from a distant past – it seemed so long ago, but, in reality, it wasn't. My eyes focused on the floor. I could see my pants soaking with blood. My throat was raw – I could not return the call. The door swung open and slammed against the wall.

"Veta…" I heard footsteps quickly make their way over to my dangling body. Gentle hands cradled my head and tilted it up word. His blue eyes were a true sight for sore eyes.

"Y…yu…yuri.."


	3. Recovery

_**(sorry about the long update wait! Crazy busy with my religion course in school- projects and tests :P There's actually a lot more to it than you'd think XD anyhoe, i hope you're all enjoying. I know it's slow moving but i'm sorry. they'll be more action soon :) PROMISE! So, read and review my fellow CoD aficionados :D i love the rewiews :3 btws THIS IS UNBETTED. So i'm sorry for teh spelling errors. i digress - enjoy! :D) **_

My body was exhausted. When Yuri untied my wrists from the rope, I collapsed into his warm body. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around me. In his arms, I felt safe. Meekly, I raised my arm and pointed towards the floorboard. Without a word, he pried it open and grabbed the hard drive. I knew Makarov wouldn't have wanted it to fall into the wrong hands.

"Who did this to you?" Yuri asked as he picked me up, bridal style. I must have felt like a rag doll.

"Shepherd..." Trailing off, I started to succumb into the realm of unconsciousness. Yuri had to have noticed, for he gently shook my body. We both knew I needed to stay awake... but I felt so tired.

"Veta, come on... stay away. Don't you want to tell me a story?"

I knew he was trying to get me to stay awake. That was one of the oldest tricks out there. With the pain coursing through my body and increasing as it reached my mind, there was no way in hell that I could think straight.

"No... could... y-you tell me... one...?" Yuri furiously spewed out Russian to two men who entered the room. For the life of me, I couldn't tell what he was saying. After a few moments, I heard the two men leave the room and their boots thud up against the stairs. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. I focused my gaze into Yuri's eyes. In those blue eyes of his, I could see the anger boiling through them. If Yuri was this angry of what happened… I could only imagine what Vlad was going to be like. Livid wouldn't even begin to describe his reaction. Genuinely, I was scared. If Vlad ever caught him, Shepherd was going to suffer his wrath. From the corner of my eye, I saw the two men re-enter the room. Neither of them looked very familiar to me. If Yuri was here, I would've thought there would have been more people I would have recognized. The taller of the two men stepped up beside me and draped my old blanket over me.

"Спасибо…" I gave them a nod with my thanks. I felt Yuri starting to leave the house with a sense of urgency. It was fine by me – I didn't want to be in there any longer than I had to. Once he crossed through the threshold and made his way outside, I was reminded of my harsh reality – the car was still ablaze as Yuri hurried by. Time seemed to slow down as my eyes focused on the flames. As hard as I tried, I couldn't see anything remotely resembling a body. My parents were gone. Those American bastards.

"Veta, do you like heights?" Yuri looked into my eyes, trying to reassure me with his smile. As much as I wanted that smile to settle my soul, it didn't work. It couldn't – my eyes drifted away from his eyes and back towards the flames. I could feel my face starting to streak with tears.

"No…" I shook my head, weakly. Yuri turned my face up to look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry." What was he saying sorry for? The fact that I was afraid of heights? Or was it the fact that I had just lost my parents? I didn't know what to say.

"Сжечь?" One of the men pulled out a lighter as a helicopter touched down beside us. Yuri hoisted me into the helicopter and gave the man a nod. Within seconds, I watched my childhood home become engulfed in flames. I know they didn't want any other Americans discovering the place… but this was my home. Even as the helicopter departed, I couldn't take my eyes off the roaring fire below. I'd never be able to forget what happened here – ever. Yuri tried to talk to me to keep me awake, but I couldn't focus. As the fire went away from my eyes, so too did my vision. I fell back into the deep recesses of my mind. Everything was better here. For a few moments, I could have sworn that I saw my parents. They were right there… but I know it's not real. For all that I hated them for all the hell they had put me through, they were my parents… _were_… past tense.

It could have been minutes, or it could have been days, but when I finally came back into the world of consciousness, the first thing I heard made me very, very nervous.

"Как только она проснуться, он хочет ее видеть." He wanted to see me…? Vlad. Slowly, I forced my eyes to open. All the pain that my body once experienced was gone. Maybe it was pain killers or maybe I had simply healed – I couldn't care less. Blinking a few times, I cleared my vision. The room was quite large – enough room for at least fifteen people. When I moved my head around, a sharp pain pulsed through it – maybe I was wrong about that healing part. Well, I knew one thing - I was in some sort of medical facility. At least I was safe. Looking at the door, I could see a guard standing outside.

"I see you're awake." The doctor flashed me a smile as he walked past the guard. Once the guard noticed I was awake, he spoke into his ear piece. I turned my attention to the doctor.

"How long was I out for?" My eyes wandered around the room. The sun shone through the window and accented the light blue walls that surrounded me. It felt nice being here.

"After you came here, you were rushed to surgery. Four cracked and bruised ribs, a severe concussion, bleeding from the brain," he grabbed a flash light from his pocket and shone it into my eyes, "fun stuff. Well, you seem to be doing well. It's been about… four weeks since you were conscious."

"Four weeks?!" I couldn't believe it. No wonder my recovery seemed so fast.

"You had a severe concussion – you're lucky to be alive. Your ribs should almost be fully healed."

"Doctor," the guard came into the room, clutching his gun. Looking him over, he looked familiar. I couldn't quite put my finger on him, but I knew he was from the Inner Circle.

"Yes?" He put the flashlight back into his pocket.

"He wants to see her." The guard gestured towards the door. Through the threshold, I could see a silhouette.

"Yuri!" I exclaimed, sitting up in the bed. As he stepped closer, I could see him holding a handful of flowers in one hand and a satchel in the other.

"Veta! You're awake. It's so good to see you're awake." I grasped the flowers as he handed them to me. They were lovely – Tiger Lilly's. The smile that spread across my face said it all. Yuri always had a sweet side.

"Vlad wants to see me?" I took in a whiff of the flowers and looked between the guard and Yuri.

"Yes, now." The guard curtly remarked, nodding between the three of us and stood back outside.

Opening the bag, I saw a bunch of my old clothes. Yuri must have saved them before he burned down the house. Carefully, I stood out of my bed and walked over to the bathroom. This gown they put on me for surgery was starting to itch. As quick as I could, I slipped on a black long sleeve shirt and sweats from inside. This felt much better on my aching body. Once I was changed, I walked back out and flung the satchel over my shoulder.

"I'm ready." Yuri smiled down at me and walked out of the room. Looking around at all the faces, I couldn't tell where I was. It was some Ultranationalist building – most likely secret. It was weird. As I walked around the winding corridors, I found myself feeling smaller and smaller. Yuri cautiously looked around making sure no one could hear him. He pulled me closer and whispered into my ear.

"Кровь окрашивает руки людей, которые вы никогда бы не подумал, что держал нож." _Blood stains the hands of people who you would never have thought to have held the knife…_ I haven't heard that in quite some time. When I was younger, I remember Vlad telling me that once. He explained how some people you think you know suddenly turn on you when you least expect them. Back then I couldn't understand how anyone you trusted could do such a thing, but I've started to understand.

"Вы нашли кровавый след, ведущий к ним?" _You have found the blood trail leading to them?_ Why was Yuri telling me this right now? There had to be some reason… I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"И убрали его." _And cleaned it. _Had Vlad and Yuri gotten rid of a traitor? None of this was making sense. Yuri pulled me down an adjacent corridor. We moved from a well-lit and polished area down a dark and dank corridor. Yuri continued to walk down the corridor, but I stopped. I didn't want to go down any further – it looked too sketchy. Yuri looked back at me and gestured me to follow him. Against my better judgement, I followed him. Yuri wouldn't lead me anywhere bad. I reached out and clutched onto his sleeve – I couldn't see anything anymore. After a few steps, I heard the unlocking of a door. A rush of warm air brushed past me as Yuri pulled me through the threshold. The door closed behind me and locked – it was automated. Within a few seconds, a light came on. Yuri looked back at me and smiled – everything was fine. After a few minutes of walking down various corridors, I started to notice the increase of security personnel. Every time I looked at them, they viewed me with a certain air that I couldn't quite place. Yuri took me down a flight of stairs then stopped. Two men were stationed on the outside of a heavily fortified door.

"Товарищи." _Comrades._ Yuri gave a nod and they opened the door for us. As I stepped in behind Yuri, my eyes fell upon the flag that hung across the far wall. The snake eating its own tail and crown were all quite old to my eyes. The seven men who sat around the table trained their eyes on me. It was like looking at an old photograph – I had seen all these men before. It may have been in passing and only a few words exchanged, but I knew them. Sitting prominently at the head of their table with two seats open to each of his flanks was a man I hadn't thought I would see again. Well, at least not for some time.

"Вета. Юрий."_ Veta. Yuri._ He gave us each a nod. That was like him – distant. He wouldn't show any true affection for me until we were alone. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Влад." _Vlad._


End file.
